Shaving Versus Depilation Cream for Pre-operative Skin Preparation

A prospective, randomised study was carried out to compare the effect of pre-operative shaving with chemical depilation on wound infection in 100 patients. It was shown that depilatory creams saved time for pre-operative preparation and had an advantage in areas where shaving was difficult. The use of depilatory creams was shown to be effective, atraumatic, non-toxic and could be self-administered. Depilatory creams could be used safely on granulating wounds and did not give rise to bacterial growth. Their use was associated with a significant reduction in skin-surface bacteria and was cheaper compared with shaving. The best practice is to refrain from hair removal unless it interferes with the surgical procedure or wound closure. If hair has to be removed, it should be done using a depilatory cream. The depilatory cream has an advantage in areas which are difficult to shave or if the patient is scheduled to undergo diagnostic procedures and operations in the same area in close succession. The fight against post-operative wound infections has long been undertaken by practitioners. The authors realise that surgical-site infections are frequently caused by the bacteria commonly found on the skin; hence, reducing the number of bacteria on the skin has been a common pre-operative practice.